Playing ball



Paten-ted Apr. 27, '1-937- y I 2,078,382

, UNITED STATES Y PATENT oFFicE rLazirmlsm' l I ciw-los n. nmhsw,Beloit, wia.

application May zo, 1936, serial No. sus

-z claims. (ci. 27s-ss) Thisinvention relatesto improvements'in playsucharea that Y, it solely may strike a rebound ing balls. I surface andcause the ball to rebound in the same v 'The object of the invention isto provide a remanner as it would were the bands not present, silientball, preferably of rubber, which has a that is, the angle of reboundwill equal the angle surface formation which when the ball is thrown ofapproach. However, if one of the bands Il against a rebound surface, asa side walk or the or I2 also strikes the rebound surface, the angle 5like, will introduce an element. of uncertainty in of rebound will beaected thereby and uncerthe direction or angle of the rebound. tainty inthe direction of return of the ball is Children play numerous games withrubber thereby introduced. It will be seen that any of balls and after atime many become very proilthe four impact segments or areas I3 may solcient in catching the balls on the rebound due to strike the reboundsurface that the ball .will be 1 the regularity at which they arereturned by a returned at the expected angle and that in some smoothrebound surface. instances the bands I Lon I2 may so strike the lInplaying with a ball embodying 'the present suiface as to cause the ballto rebound as eximprovements more alertness in catching: 'the peeted-However. Shuld the bell be S0 thIOWn ban 1s required, due to the factthat while the that a portion of one of the spherical areas n 15improved ball may be returned by the rebound and also e D01'tl9u 0f.011e 0l the bands impactsurface at an angle equal to the angle at whichthe surface, the rebound will likely be at an unit struck the surface,itis likely to rebound at an expected ungleentirely different andunexpected angle and hence The same will be true whena lateral portiongreater alertness on the part'of the player and 0fa band impacts therebound surface. It will, 20

greater expertne in catching the ball are retherefore, be seen that uponrepeatedly bouncing quired and the players interest in the particularthe ball against a smooth surface, even though game .is prolonged. theball may strike the. surface at the same angle In theaccompanyingdrawing: at each thro the angles of rebound are likely Figure `i. is anelevation of a ball embodying t0 be varied, depending upon whichportionsof the present improvements. the ball impact the surface.

i Figure 2 isa top plan view of the ball illustrated Instead ofproviding the spherical surface of in Figure 1./ the ball I0 with thecontinuous annular protuber- Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line3 3' ances or bands above described, semi-spherical c of Figure 1;impact bosses or button-like protuberances Il, as 39 Figure 4 is yanelevation of amodied form ofv illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. me! alsobe used the invention. A to obtain similar results. Theseformations IlFigure 5 is a section taken on unes s-i of preferably are formedintegrally with the bali Figure 4. vand of the same, material. Six suchmembers Il In Figureslto 3 of the drawing, the ball proper are shown,distributed equi-distantly one from is indicated by thenunieral Il, andpreferably -nOlfhel D011 the Spherical Sul'fce which is is formed of anysuitable rubber composition thereby divided into segmental impact areaswhich gives the ball resiliency and satisfactory which will eeusiihebell t0 rebound at Predict- 40 rebound characteristics for use inplaying sideable 0r expected angles when any one 0f the o walk or likegames so popular with children, a1; same alone strikes the reboundsurface. Howthough it may, of course, be used in playing ever, shouldany one of protuberances Il also games where a bat issed. contact thesurface. it will affect the angle at The exterior surface of the ball isgenerally which the ball rebounds. I

spherical but as shown in Figures 1 toy 3. two Iam aware thatballswithornamental annular 45 annular intersecting bands II and I2 Vare probandsand other surface formations have heretovided on the exterior whichpreferably are disfore been made. Such bands or protuberances, posed indiametricai planes at right angles one to however. have been closelySPiwed and constitute the other. These bands, asV illustrated, are theimpact area of the ball. With the presentf curved or convex in crosssection and preferablyA improvements the protuberan whether in the 50are molded'integrally withA the balland of the form of continuous bandsas shown in Figures l same resilient material of which the ball is made.to 3 or of bosses or button-like projections as il v The disposition ofthe bands II and I2 as delustrated in `.'iiigures 4 land 5, are sorelatively scribed divides the exterior ofthe ball into four spaced asto leaveavailable the maior portion of semi-spherical impact segmentsIleach being of the relatively uniform vfor limpact ptlrposes which incooperation with the protuberances render .at which the ball willrebound.

hown and described certain em- While I have s 6 bodiments of myillustratiom do icaliy thereto exc I claim:

quite unpredictable I the angle improvement for the purpose of not wishto be restricted specifept as so limite@ by the appended 1. A resilientball having an' exterior surface l composed ot semi-'spherical impactareas and interposed protub'erant impact bands encircling 'theexterior.. l

2.5A resilient ball yhealing an exterior surface composed ofsemi-spherical impact areas and in-

